Curious
by Krystal-Enderheart
Summary: Zoey is wandering the forest and all of a sudden a loud BOOM! ricochets throughout the land. She goes to investigate and finds something most curious... Read on to find out just what it is she finds. This began as a one-shot, but now it's a series. Will contain Zoethian later. Please rate and review, remember your opinion is valuable to me! Don't you ever think otherwise.
1. Chapter 1

Curious

**A/N: Another new one-shot! Eventually I might delete my one shots and stick them all into one bucket, who knows! Enjoy ;)**

Zoey was strolling through the serene forest, brushing her fingertips across the scabrous bark of the swaying oak trees. The velvety, jade grass rustled gently in the calm breeze. Up above, the petite birds sang their delightful melodies, and the crickets played their fascinating song. The sun was shimmering, and all was peaceful. She stepped daintily, and listened to the birds sing.

She wore a smile on her face, and a long red and gold dress. Her dress brushed against the grass, and the band around her waist hung loosely. The piece of red ribbon was embellished with intricate designs, the same pattern around the top of her sleeves and just below the neck line. At her elbows the sleeves turned into curtains of delicate red lace, and around her head was a golden headband, engraved with the same patterns at the rest of the dress. Around her neck was a ruby necklace, each gem braced in 24 carat gold. Zoey's scarlet hair reached down to her elbows, and billowed gently in the summer breeze.

Everything was perfect...

...But not for long.

All of a sudden, the peace and tranquility of the forest was broken, shattered like glass into a million shards, as a thundering _BOOM! _ricocheted throughout the landscape. The birds ceased their singing, and all flew away, trying desperately to escape what could only be assumed to be danger. Zoey, being an Elf, could not help her curiosity, and hitched her up skirt, running to investigate.

Soon, she came to a clearing.

The clearing wasn't natural, it had been created. By the same peculiar object that had caused the sound just a few moments before. The clearing was entirely a crater, and it reached across about 5 metres. At the epicentre, as the smoke lifted, she could see a faint, soft purple glow, however the light was partially obstructed by the rubble.

Zoey, being the curious Elf she was, stepped down the steep side of the crater, skidding as the jagged rocks crumbled under the pressure of her weight. As she approached the glowing object, the smoke cleared and revealed that the object was in fact... a man?

He was lying on his side, curled into a loose ball. A black scarf covered the lower half of his face, a long black cape was crumpled behind him, and from his back sprouted a great pair of black and purple dragon wings. They had many many holes in, like he had been in rough fights. His hair was long and slicked back, dark brown with a single light brown streak at the front, and a pair of twisting, long, black horns sprouted from the top of his head. He was wearing purple armour that clung to him over a tight black suit, with black edges and highlights, and by his side lay a long, black, scaled tail with an arrowhead point on the end and razor-sharp barbs along it. On his feet was a pair of tall boots that matched the pattern of his armour and covering his hands was a pair of black leather gloves, but at the tip of each finger was a small hole. Just out of reach of his hands was a book, bound in black leather, with patterns and symbols painted and engraved on the cover. The soft purple glow was coming from his hands, eyes, tail and the tips of his wings.

Zoey was stunned. She just stood there for a while, taking in the sight that was this man at the epicentre of a 5 metre crater in the middle of the forest.

Eventually, she snapped out her trance-like state and pulled up her skirt once again to go and seek help. She ran through the forest until she came to the big oak tree which marked the entrance to the magical elven Kingdom of Iyhasari. It was kept hidden by a magical barrier that kept others from seeing or entering it, and allowed them to pass through like it was simply open space. The kingdom was home to thousands of elves, ruled over by a kind and loving king and queen.

Zoey found the symbol on the twisted tree, and pressed her hand against it. A gentle green light shone around her hand and the barrier was lifted, the edges green as they peeled back towards the centre of the kingdom, the tip of the centre spire of the beautiful marble palace. The kingdom itself reached up high amongst the trees, towering over them, each building delicately carved and constructed by hand from the finest quality materials. The kingdom itself sat atop a large hill, with a stream running through it that ended in a waterfall which tumbled down into the crystal river below. Each building was carved from creamy marble and decorated intricately. Each side of the river was thick forest, inhabited by deers, rabbits and many other forest creatures. Mountains created a safe barrier to the south, so they were unable to be attacked from behind and the forest made it difficult for any army or enemy to navigate to the kingdom, so they were safe. The sight was beautiful.

* * *

Zoey ran through the streets, ducking, diving and weaving her way through the crowds of the market. She ran right up to the palace gates, and straight through and into the palace itself. She ran to her father, the king, and stopped, panting.

"Father...need...help...where's...Teep?" She panted.

Her father stood up and trotted over, helping her stand up and sit in his throne. Her father was a tall man, with dark brown hair that desperately needed cutting and pale skin. His eyes were a brilliant blue and he wore a brown leather tunic decorated with red maple leaves. His trousers were simple brown cotton with knee pads, and he wore old brown boots, and a matching pair of gloves along with the intricate gold elven crown that sat atop his head.

"Zoey, slow down. You said you need help?" He asked.

Zoey nodded, and caught her breath. "Yes. I need Teep, do you know where he is?"

"I believe he was out patrolling the forest, looking for you," He recalled.

"Can you call him back?" She asked, still slightly out of breath from all the running she'd been doing today.

"Of course," He said, going over to where he kept his messenger bird. The bird was a beautiful female spotted owl named Atreyu, with a wing span of 4 feet and completely tame.

Zoey's father -Xephos- wrote a small note on parchment and rolled it up, sliding it into the capsule on Atreyu's leg and holding out his arm for her to climb onto. The bird ruffled her feathers as she stepped onto his arm to be carried over to the window, where she spread her wings and flew out into the forest. Xephos stepped back from the window and walked over to Zoey.

"There. He'll be back soon, but what do you need him for?" He asked, kneeling in front of her.

"I need his strength," She said, looking at her hands sitting in her lap.

"His strength? Why? Is there a fallen tree somewhere? A monster?" He asked, getting more panicked as he listed ideas.

"No, none of those. It's- It's nothing. It's hard to explain," She said, silently hoping he wouldn't ask many more questions.

"Okay, I trust you to tell me if you are in danger or something dangerous happens. You will tell me won't you?" Xephos asked, standing up.

"Of course, father."

Zoey stood up too, just as Atreyu landed on the windowsill again. A few seconds later, Teep came running in the door. Teep was a young Elf assigned as Zoey's protector, and he was always there for her. He was tall and lanky, but had surprising strength. He had pale skin like the others, and had long shaggy black hair that matched his black but kind eyes. He wore a leather tunic and trousers, with green oak leaves decorating his outfit. On his back was a quiver, along with his ornate wooden bow. He wore no shoes, as he said that they made too much noise, and that they would scare off animals if he ever wanted to go animal-spotting.

"You summoned me Princess?" He said, barely out of breath.

**( Hells yeah Teep can talk! )**

Zoey nodded. "I did. I need your help,"

"My help?" He questioned as Zoey walked forward, grabbed his wrist and dragged him out and through the gates. "Where are we going?" He asked, pulling himself from her grip and walking alongside her instead.

Zoey broke into a sprint, followed by Teep. "There's something- or rather some_one _I need to show you," She answered him.

"_Someone? _Who could you possibly need to show me?" He asked.

"Just wait," She said.

* * *

A few minutes later, they came to the crater. Teep gasped and skidded down the side, closely followed by Zoey.

"Who is he?" Teep asked, kneeling by the strange man's side.

"I don't know, but he made this crater, and I think he might be injured," She said.

"He's injured alright. Look at the way his wings are bent, and his foot rests in an unnatural position. Who knows what other bones he's broken," Teep assessed, gently laying the man's wings flat, and rolling him onto his back.

"Is he from the north? A spy for the trolls? Warlocks? Dwarves?" She asked, panicked.

"No, the trolls aren't that clever and we recently made truces with the warlocks and the dwarves, so they'd have no reason to send spies. He doesn't look like he belongs to any of the races, not that I'm aware of," Teep said, carefully scooping him up and standing up straight. "Let's get him back to the palace,"

"Yes, Kaeyi can tell us how much damage was done, and maybe my father knows something about where he's from," Zoey said.

* * *

So they carried this strange man back to the kingdom, and into the palace. As soon as they stepped foot inside nurses were flitting around Teep, trying to get a good look at the man. Luckily, Teep was tall enough that they couldn't reach him.

"Ladies please! We need only one nurse. Where's Kaeyi?" He asked, and they all sighed and pointed to the stairs. "Thank you,"

They both walked towards the stairs, and Zoey smiled at the nurses, and they smiled back. When they reached where Kaeyi was, Zoey rushed over.

"Kaeyi! We have a very special patient for you!" She exclaimed.

Kaeyi turned and looked at the man in Teep's arms. Kaeyi had long, wavy bubble-gum pink hair and wore a simple white cotton dress that was tied at her waist with a ribbon. She wore a red and white apron over the top. On her head was a simple white hat that had a red cross on the front, and she had white pumps on her feet. Her skin was pale and her eyes were pale blue. She was one of the prettiest girls Zoey had ever met.

"Oh...Well, put him in a bed, I'll get my things!" She said, pointing to an empty bed before running off.

Teep laid the man down and a few moments later Kaeyi returned with her bag, and opened it up.

* * *

**A/N: I never expected it to be this long... Okay well now this has turned into a two-shot! Oh well! I guess, see in the next part! Please rate and review, it makes my day and if you ever have any questions or constructive criticism don't be afraid to speak your opinion! And don't forget to check my other stories if you're interested in this one. See if you can guess who this mysterious figure is, and find out next time if you're right!Remember, I wanna know what you guys think ;) Until the next time.  
-K**


	2. Chapter 2

Curious: Part Two

**A/N: I have finally stopped procrastinating writing this. Who knows, I might turn this into a fully fledged series! It might go beyond a two shot if you want it to ;) But that decision is up to you. **

Kaeyi looked back over her notes.

"Okay...So that's one broken left arm, a broken left leg, three broken fingers all on his left hand, broken left ankle, and a bunch of scratches and a couple cracks in his skull. Oh, and he's broken both wings and his tail. He's lucky he didn't do any damage to his spine or internal organs," She listed, and then slid the paper into a folder.

"So, when will he wake up?" Zoey asked, nervous.

"There's no telling. Even just surviving a fall like that was pretty amazing. I'm no mathematician, but I can tell that normal elves and humans wouldn't have made a crater as big as that or survived the fall," Kaeyi responded.

"Can he stay here?" Teep asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, of course. That's what these beds are for!" Kaeyi said with a smile.

"Great. Well, I'll go and get King Xephos, see if he knows anything. If not, we could always ask Queen Lomadia instead. Or even your brother, Zoey," Teep said.

"Okay. Well, see you in bit," Zoey said, waving him off as he walked down the stairs.

* * *

Xephos scrutinised the stranger. "I'm terribly sorry, but I have no knowledge of the races outside of Dwarves, Warlocks, Trolls, Goblins, Pixies and Hobbits," He apologised. "Perhaps you should ask your mother, Zoey?"

Zoey nodded and ran off to find her mother. She was probably at the sanctuary, knowing her. So she began running through the halls, heading for the sanctuary.

* * *

Xephos had left by the time Zoey came back with her mother. Lomadia cocked her head as she looked at the man.

"Well, he doesn't look like he's from the north. Most of them wear wooly clothing, as it's cold up there, and I've never heard nor read of a Northerner having horns, wings and a tail. But then I've never read of anyone having them," She answered their silent questions. "Sorry sweetie," She said to Zoey, and turned to walk away.

Zoey nodded. When her mother was out of sight, she turned back to the group. "Well, I guess we go ask my brother?"

They both nodded. "I'll stay here, you two go," Kaeyi instructed them.

Zoey and Teep nodded, but Zoey then brought out a piece of paper and a pen. "I'll write you two notes, one telling my father where we've gone, and one for you so that if anyone asks you about him you can show them this and say you know nothing else," She said, and then handed over the notes. Kaeyi smiled and accepted them, and then shooed them out the door.

"Now go on, go get your brother!" She called out. '_I really wanna see him again_,' She thought to herself.

* * *

Teep got all their stuff together, while Zoey was changing into something more suitable for the walk. When Teep was just about done, he looked up to call for Zoey just as she stepped through her bedroom door.

"What do you think?" She asked.

"You look...perfectly suited to the occasion," Teep replied, picking his words carefully. He got a smile in response.P

Zoey was now wearing a long-sleeved white cotton dress with a green birch leaf cropped jacket over the top. The dress was split down each side so as to not restrict her legs, and she was wearing simple brown legging underneath. She was also wearing knee high boots that matched her jacket and a piece of brown cloth was wrapped around her waist as a belt, tied in a bow at the back. Her hair was tied up in a pony tail and brown gloves came up to her elbows. A long cloak was tied around her shoulders, made of the same birch leaves as her boots and jacket, and on her back was a quiver similar to Teep's, but smaller. She held a simple bow in her hand.

"Thank you," Zoey replied, and looked at the bag stood next to Teep. "Will you be alright carrying that?"

"Of course I will, don't you worry about me. Now, let's go and find your brother," He said, putting the bag on his back and starting off down the stairs.

Zoey followed behind, waving and smiling at everyone as they wished them luck on their adventure.

* * *

So the two journeyed through the forest, towards the Dwarven bastion of Khaz Modan. On their travels they had to avoid many carnivorous beasts of the forest, but equally they could admire the cuteness of the peaceful creatures.

The pair travelled for several days, stopping to camp and hunt every so often. Eventually they reached the Dwarven fortress, the last known location of Zoey's brother. Teep thumped on the mighty doors of the stronghold, carved from the densest stone, and slowly they effortlessly glided open, and revealed the vast halls leading directly to the throne room. Zoey's brother was meant to be exploring for the Dwarven king, Honeydew, and helping his ironsmiths to forge magical hammers and maces. They wandered through the corridors, and soon they reached the main hall, where all the paths and routes met so that you could navigate the bastion. Every dwarf they passed looked up at them, in confusion and some in disapproval of their being there.

One dwarf was very kind indeed, however, and he stopped to look at them.

"Excuse me miss," He began, in his deep booming voice. "But are you lost?"

Zoey kneeled down to his height. "Why, yes we are. We're looking for King Honeydew you see, my brother is meant to be working here,"

"Your brother? Well that must mean you're the Elven Princess Zoeya," He concluded.

She nodded. "I am. So, can you help us?"

"Of course I can. I'd be honoured," He said, and gestured for them to follow as he started to walk away.

Zoey and Teep followed the dwarf, engaging in small talk with him.

"So, what's your name? Since you seem to know mine," Zoey asked.

"My name is Tothal Tunnelcutter. But most of the outsiders call me Tom, even if it's not the most Dwarven name," He introduced himself.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Tom," Zoey said.

* * *

They exchanged polite conversation until Tom stopped at a pair of doors slightly smaller than those of the entrance, but much more gold-encrusted. He turned to them.

"Well, here we are. Behind these doors is King Honeydew, I'm sure he'll be delighted to see you," He said, and walked away, waving to them.

They waved back, and then Teep knocked on the door. A deep, powerful voice came from within.

"Enter," The voice said.

They pushed open the door to reveal the most heavily guarded, gold-encrusted, intricately carved room they had ever seen. They were standing on a pathway of pure white marble with stone edging, and if you looked over the edge of the railing it would be like staring into the abyss. Torches were placed at regular intervals, and the path led to the back of the room. Another path of the same design intersected with the one they were standing on, and where they met a circular platform was formed, in the centre of which sat the Dwarven throne.

"Princess Zoeya! How lovely to see you here! And to what do I owe the pleasure?" The voice, revealed to be that of Honeydew himself, said.

"Well, I'm looking for my brother. Last I knew, he was working for you, helping to forge weapons," She answered.

"Ah, yes, your brother! I'm afraid he left here many months ago, I'm sorry." Honeydew apologised.

"It's okay, it's not your fault. Can you recall where he said he was going?" Zoey asked.

"I believe he said he was going to help the Interstellar Explorer's medic with some new techniques. I think their ship is still parked in the Southern cavern of Mount Cael, I would be happy to accompany you on the journey to show you the way," He offered.

Zoey paused to look to Teep, and he smiled and looked to Honeydew. "That would be excellent, thank you Honeydew," He answered for them. "But don't you have to look after your kingdom?"

"Oh don't worry, I have someone to look after the Kingdom in the event of things like this. TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!" He shouted, and the same Tom from earlier came rushing in a little while later.

"Yes, sir?" Tom panted.

"Can you take over? I'll leave a list of stuff I want done by the time I get back," He asked.

"Oh, of course Sir. It'd be a pleasure," Tom said.

"Well that's sorted then! We leave in an hour!" Honeydew announced.

"Perfect. So I guess we'll have to find something to do in the mean time?" Zoey asked.

"You know, I would like to have a melee weapon, just in case," Teep said. "Could we go to the forge?"

"Oh, yeah. Maybe I could get a dagger or something," She said, smiling as she turned to walk away.

Honeydew nodded. "I'll show you the way. The forge is in the same direction as my quarters."

They smiled and all three of them walked out of the room, leaving Tom to his own devices. As they walked down the hallway, Honeydew in front and Zoey and Teep behind, they were given looks, some of them glares and some of them smiles. It didn't take long to reach the forge, where Honeydew said he would see them soon and turned to leave. Teep and Zoey walked inside, where a long pathway led to a platform in the centre, and the empty space was filled with molten lava. It was blisteringly hot inside, and Zoey began to sweat a little.

They walked down the pathway, and the dwarf at the anvil stopped and turned to them.

"Hello!" He called, signalling them over with a smile. "I'm Frerin. It's a pleasure, what can I do for a pair of Elves like yourselves?" He asked.

"Hi! I'm Zoey, this is Teep," She introduced.

"Hello," Teep said.

"Do you have any daggers?" Zoey asked, a little shy.

"I certainly do. Anything for the young man?" He asked Teep.

"A one-handed lightweight sword if you could," He requested.

"I don't have any of those currently, we Dwarves tend to use heavy two-handed swords if we do use them. I only have daggers in stock for the little ones. But, I can whip one up in say...a half hour?" He offered.

"Sounds great. Zoey, why don't we browse the daggers?" Teep suggested.

"Okay!" She said, walking with Teep over to where the table of weapons was.

"See any you like the look of?" Frerin asked from where he was already getting started on Teep's sword.

Zoey scanned the line-up. There was a hunting dagger, a katar, a kard, a kaiken, a qama and a gerber mark II, all labelled with their names, otherwise Zoey would have no idea what they were.

"I don't know. I guess the qama, maybe?" She looked to Teep for guidance, but he just smiled.

"The qama's a nice choice. But I'm guessing you don't plan on stabbing _people _with it, do you?" He asked.

Zoey looked down, and nodded her head.

"Maybe you'd be better with a hunting dagger then. If you need to, you can use it in self defense against people or it can be used for- other stuff," He suggested.

Zoey smiled. "Thanks. Can I just take this one then, or what?" She asked.

"There's a bucket of them behind the table. You can pick one from there," Frerin informed her.

"Okay," She said, walking around the table and looking in the bucket. Luckily they were all in sheaths, so reaching in wouldn't cut her hand. She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding when she saw that. "So I can just pick one?"

"Yep,"

"Okay..." She said, nervously dipping in her hand to shuffle them around.

After a few minutes she found one she liked. The leather around the handle had been dyed red and sheath was plain with a few patterns on it. She tied it to her belt.

"How much?" She asked.

"For you Princess, on the house," Frerin answered. "Those things take no time at all to make anyway,"

"How's progress on the sword?" Teep asked.

"It's coming along nicely! Only about twenty more minutes," He answered.

"We can wait," Zoey quickly said.

**A/N: Well, there we have it! Honeydew has joined the party and the identity of Zoey's brother still hasn't been revealed. All will be revealed (it won't) next time, on Curious! Same place, completely different time. I am so sorry I haven't been here for so long... here's a virtual cookie to make up for it? (::) Sorry again, and please review!  
~K**


	3. Chapter 3

Curious  
Chapter Three

**A/N: Okay so it's been a very very very very very long time since I wrote anything on here so I decided I should write this... So... Um... Sorry? I've been gone for a very long time... Have a cookie? (::)**

Frerin presented the sword. It was lightweight, and could easily be held and swung with one hand.

"There you are son. I hope it suffices. I don't have much experience in one-handed swords, sorry 'bout that." He said.

Teep took it and tested the balance and weight. It seemed very well made. "Very nice! Thank you, Frerin. This'll come in very handy."

"Not a problem laddy. Unfortunately that metal ain't cheap, so I'll have to ask for 30 gold pieces." He said, pulling off his gloves and setting them on his anvil. Teep nodded and opened the pouch on his hip. He took out the gold and placed them in Frerin's hand.

"There you go. Now, we must be off! C'mon Zoey."

Zoey smiled and nodded, happy to get back into the outdoors again. "Alright!"

They set off, and met Honeydew on the long stone pathways. Honeydew had a large backpack.

"Are you ready, Honeydew?" Teep asked, sliding his new sword into a sheath tied to his hip.

"Most certainly! Let us depart for the Southern cavern of Mount Cael!" Honeydew said, leading the way.

It was a long journey they had ahead. The mountain they were heading for was to the south of the Elven kingdom, behind a huge mountain range. It was encircled by many smaller mountains, and the mountains' faces were home to many dangerous creatures. Not only those, but they would have to deal with the pixies and their tricks.

Once they returned to the elven kingdom of Iyhasari, they were greeted with a warm welcome. On the way they had stopped to show Honeydew the impressive crater the mystery man had made. The three returned to the palace, so that they could resupply. They hadn't known they were due to embark on such a mighty adventure.

"Zoey! You're back already?" King Xephos greeted.

"We came to gather more supplies. We're making the trek to Mount Cael." Zoey explained.

"Xephos!" Honeydew cheered at the sight of his old friend. "How have you been?"

"Honeydew! It's been too long!"

They shared a hug and Xephos began to tell Honeydew about how the kingdom had grown and changed since he had last been in Iyhasari. Teep and Zoey laughed.

"C'mon Teep, let's go get some more supplies." Zoey said, and walked through to the huge storage room at the back of the palace.

It was floor to ceiling of chests and shelves. It had side rooms, labelled as to what they held. A steel door at the rear of the room had the word 'VAULT' engraved into the front. Zoey dug through a chest just outside the steel door. It was full of different coins, not used in the elven kingdom, but elsewhere. With the limited modes of transportation, and being unable to convert between currencies, they were pretty much worthless here.

"I'll get some of the other currencies, we might need it." Zoey said, filling other coin pouches.

"I'll restock on arrows and grab an extra bow. Never know, since we'll be gone for a long time." Teep said.

"Shall we take armour?" Zoey asked.

"Hmm... No, it'll be too heavy and too hot."

"Alright then. Let's head to the kitchens and stock up plenty on food and water."

Teep nodded.

* * *

When they were all restocked and ready to go, they met Honeydew by the door.

"Friend, won't you come with us?" Honeydew asked, but Xephos shook his head.

"Unlike you, dear friend, I have no one to take my place on my throne. And besides, my wife would miss me, and I her." Lomadia had looped her arm in his, and he put a hand on top of hers. They smiled at each other.

"Alright. Then, I shall see you upon my return." He said, then nodded a goodbye and followed Zoey and Teep out of the doors. They walked through the pristine streets of Iyhasari, with many of the townsfolk wishing them luck on their adventure to seek out the Elven prince.

They reached the base of the shorter mountains that surrounded Mount Cael. A blanket of clouds prevented the trio seeing any higher up the main mountain than about three quarters of the way. A few hours into their journey up the cliffs, and they encountered a small gathering of mountain goats - who seemed very hungry for the food in their bags. Zoey reached out a hand to greet the hungry fellow, but they just bleated at her and attempted to shove their heads into her bag to get at the food. She stumbled back, pushed the goats away. Teep drew his new sword, ready to slay the goats should they get in the way off their quest, but Zoey stopped him. "Can't we just usher them away and continue on? Or find another path? We shouldn't have to end lives to achieve our goal. Besides, my brother wouldn't be very happy about that now would he?"

Teep nodded and sheathed his sword once more, and Honeydew now stepped forward. He hit one of the goats on its rump - not too hard though - and it bounded to the side a few steps with an unhappy bleat. He did this for the others and soon they were all out of their way and no longer looking to steal the trio's supplies - too much effort. They would find more food later, there was plenty grass on the other side of the mountains.

Zoey and Teep nodded in gratitude to the dwarves ruler and they carried on their way.

* * *

After a few rough nights sleeping in thin tents on the steep slopes of the mountains at the base of Mount Cael, the trio were getting tired. They needed to get to the top and over the mountains, where there would be softer slopes, grass and trees for shade and shelter. Zoey sighed. "We need to get up. Come on - no sleep tonight, we're getting there." She said, sounding very determined.

"Oi! It's only 5 in the bloody morning!" Honeydew protested.

Teep rolled over and reached for his bow, dragging himself out of bed and getting dressed groggily. "Alright Princess. Come on, King Honeydew, Zoey is right, we must press on until we reach the peak. We may all rest once we reach the other side."

Honeydew gathered his things and got dressed, pulling his backpack over his shoulders just as Zoey was tying her cloak. Teep grabbed the largest bag and made sure they hadn't left anything behind. They all stepped outside and Honey and Zoey talked while Teep took down the tent.

"So, how long do you think it'll take to reach Mount Cael?" She asked. "Do you think my brother will even be there still?"

Honeydew shrugged and then nodded. "The journey could take anywhere from a few days to a week. It depends whether we luck out with the weather and if the gods show to us any enmity." He answered.

"Let's hope it's clear skies - rain could make the slopes very perilous, and any snow will be sure to cause avalanches. As for the god's kindness being with us - we simple have to hope and pray that nothing has angered them and that they can find kindness in their hearts."

"I'm sure they will, princess, I'm sure they will."

Teep pulled the bag onto his back and adjusted to the new weight. "Alright, we're all set. Let's go. It's dawn currently, as we're approaching the end of spring, so we shall keep our pace until tomorrow's noon." He promised. "By then we'll at least be at the valley between these mounts, or in the best case, at the foot of Cael itself."

"Aye. Will be a long day today - we shall have to find something to entertain ourselves for the journey ahead. Any ideas?" Honeydew asked.

"We could play I spy?" Zoey offered. She didn't know of many travel games. "Or twenty questions."

Teep shrugged. "I'm not playing I spy, but we could play twenty questions I suppose."

"If- or rather when- we get bored of that, what should we do?" He asked catching up as the pair started the long and perilous journey ahead.

"That's a problem for future us." Teep dismissed the comment.

* * *

At dawn the next day the travellers reached the valley between Mount Cael and it's surrounding mountains. They were exhausted - their feet ached, their eyes were heavy and their words were starting to slur a little because they were so tired.

"Perhaps... Perhaps it should be... advantageous... to rest for a while. And perhaps sleep." Teep suggested.

"Aye, indeed." Honeydew agreed. "Now there's an idea I can get behind."

Zoey shook her head. "No! We said we would walk until noon, and so we shall walk." She urged, determined to press onwards towards the base of Cael.

"Zoey's right..." Teep sighed. "We said we would walk until noon."

"Ugh." Honeydew said simply. "Do we have to?"

"Yes. We have to." Zoey insisted.

"Why?" He whined.

"Because we're going to find my brother and I want to do it as soon as possible."

Teep chuckled. "We know you do Zoey."

"It's dawn - there's only about another 7 hours of walking to do yet. Look - there are some rocks here, we can rest for a few minutes." She said, nodding to some rocks on a ledge. Honeydew rushed over to sit down, and Teep seemed rather eager to rest too. Zoey sat down and immediately felt the relief in her feet.

* * *

As noon approached they started to set up camp on a ledge they had found. While Teep was setting up the tents, Homeydew was starting a fire and Zoey was busy preparing a meal using the supplies they had left over. They where all exhausted and very much looking forward to some sleep.

They filled their stomachs and crawled into their tents - it was only 3pm, and the sun wouldn't set for a while yet, but the thick canvas of the tents made sure that not much light shone through. It made it much easier to sleep in such bright conditions. They awoke early the next morning, again with the dawn. The trio sat on the ledge as they watched the sun peek over the horizon and wash the sky with pinks and oranges and yellows. Zoey sighed. "What do we do if my brother isn't where we expect him to be?"

"What do you mean?" Teep asked.

"I mean what if this is all for nothing. What if he's not there, or he comes back with us and is just as clueless as my mother and father." She explained.

Honeydew gave her a sympathetic smile and rubbed her back. "He'll be there, and he'll know something, princess. Don't you worry. Let's just get to the other side of the mountain and find the southern cavern."

"I suppose. How do we know which cavern it is, though? There are many along the sides of Mount Cael." She asked.

"We will know. Try not to worry yourself too much princess, it is bad for your health. Now, why don't we have some breakfast and then we can be off once again?" Teep suggested with a kind smile.

"You are right. I should not worry. I shall cook for us - would you be so kind as to dismantle the tents?" She asked, standing up and turning to tend to the fire pit. Good thing they'd brought sticks and things with them - there was nothing but rocks on the mountain.

**A/N: Well, that took a while. I hope you enjoyed! Remember to leave a review below if you wanna! ~ K**


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